Hi, I’m Melissa and I’m thrilled to be your candidate for Toohey. 

I recently ran as the candidate for Moorooka in the Council elections where the Greens secured a swing of 7.8%, defeated the LNP and came in second with 37.8% of the two-party preferred vote.

I have a Master of Business with majors in Economics and Strategy. I have completed Post Graduate studies in Contract Law, Management and Legal Mediation. My combination of formal qualifications and lived experience means that I have the skills to make a real difference for Toohey in State Parliament.

I have extensive experience engaging people from multicultural backgrounds. Having worked as an International Business Development Manager in the university sector, I have a thorough knowledge of the issues that affect families, young professionals, migrants, students, renters, people living with large level debt and housing insecurity, and understand the impact the high cost of living has on our communities. 

I am a working mother of two teenagers who are questioning the cost of education, are fearful of accumulating debt and believe home ownership will be unachievable for their generation.

I have seen the impact of poor political leadership and the dramatic impact it has had on our community. 

People are struggling with the cost of living. Rents and mortgages are out of control. People are paying more than half their wages trying to maintain a home. And many more are living in tents or cars.

People in our community cannot afford meals and have trouble feeding their families. Others can’t buy medication or visit the doctor. 

This is unacceptable in a country as rich as Australia. 

We have an abundance of oil, minerals and gas. The royalties from these and other industries should be paid to Australians to reduce the cost of living and provide the basic services every family needs. 

We need true leaders in government to ensure this happens.

The Greens are ready to make an impact in our electorate. We will make big mining companies and multinational businesses pay their fair share and use this to fund all the things Queenslanders need to live a good life. 

We will fix the housing crisis by freezing rent for 2 years, cap rent increases ongoing, and give renters a guaranteed right to lease renewal. We’ll also build 100,000 well-designed public homes to rent or buy for below market rate.

We will drive down prices by breaking up the Coles and Woolies duopoly and stop corporate price gouging for essentials.

We’ll tackle the cost of living for families by making childcare, kindy, public schools and TAFE truly free and well-funded, including public school excursions and technology costs.

We’ll clear the elective surgery waiting list and fix emergency departments by properly investing in public hospitals. We’ll establish free public GP clinics so everyone can see a bulk-billing doctor.

We’ll tackle the climate emergency. Since coming to power, Queensland Labor has approved 38 new coal mines, and both Labor and the LNP want to open up 15 more. We’ll stop new coal and gas mines, invest in 100% public renewables by 2030 and establish new industries in green manufacturing.

The state election is our chance to make a real difference to the lives of Queenslanders. Join my campaign and together, we can make it happen.